Abstract: A time temperature monitoring system and method for use with a microchip or similar structure. A disclosed system includes: a substrate having an active region; a dopant source located proximate the active region; an activation system for activating a diffusion of the dopant source into the active region; and a set of spatially distributed electrodes embedded in the active region of the substrate, wherein the electrodes are configured to detect the diffusion in the active region at varying distances from the dopant source to provide time temperature information.

Abstract: A time temperature monitoring system and method for use with a microchip or similar structure. A disclosed system includes: a substrate having an active region; a dopant source located proximate the active region; an activation system for activating a diffusion of the dopant source into the active region; and a set of spatially distributed electrodes embedded in the active region of the substrate, wherein the electrodes are configured to detect the diffusion in the active region at varying distances from the dopant source to provide time temperature information.

Abstract: A metal interconnect structure, a system and method of manufacture, wherein a design layout includes results in forming at least two trenches of different trench depths. The method uses a slightly modified BEOL processing stack to prevent metal interconnect structures from encroaching upon an underlying hard mask dielectric or metallic hard mask layer. Thus two trench depths are obtained by tuning parameters of the system and allowing areas exposed by two masks to have deeper trenches. Here, the BEOL Stack processing is modified to enable two trench depths by using a hardmask that defines the lowest etch depth. The design may be optimized by software which optimizes a design for electromigration (or setup timing violations) by utilizing secondary trench depths, checking space opportunity around wires, pushing wires out to generate space and converting a wire to deep trench wire.

Abstract: A metal interconnect structure, a system and method of manufacture, wherein a design layout includes results in forming at least two trenches of different trench depths. The method uses a slightly modified BEOL processing stack to prevent metal interconnect structures from encroaching upon an underlying hard mask dielectric or metallic hard mask layer. Thus two trench depths are obtained by tuning parameters of the system and allowing areas exposed by two masks to have deeper trenches. Here, the BEOL Stack processing is modified to enable two trench depths by using a hardmask that defines the lowest etch depth. The design may be optimized by software which optimizes a design for electromigration (or setup timing violations) by utilizing secondary trench depths, checking space opportunity around wires, pushing wires out to generate space and converting a wire to deep trench wire.

Abstract: A time temperature monitoring system and method for use with a microchip or similar structure. A disclosed system includes: a substrate having an active region; a dopant source located proximate the active region; an activation system for activating a diffusion of the dopant source into the active region; and a set of spatially distributed electrodes embedded in the active region of the substrate, wherein the electrodes are configured to detect the diffusion in the active region at varying distances from the dopant source to provide time temperature information.

Abstract: A structure and method for fabricating a continuous cooling channel in the back end of line wiring levels of an integrated circuit (IC) chip is provided. This continuous cooling channel may provide a path for a cooling source such as a fluid pumped from an external fluidic-cooling circulation driver to make physical contact locally with and cool the back end levels within the IC chip that may generate heat as a byproduct of the IC device's routine operations. Such a cooling structure is achieved by removing a horizontal portion of a barrier layer from an intermediate region of an interlevel interconnect structure, selective to a vertical portion of the barrier layer located on a sidewall of the interlevel interconnect structure, using gas cluster ion beam etching as well as removing the bulk conductor by additional means.

Abstract: Via-level design shapes are mapped into stitch regions of line-level design shapes design in an overlying conductive line level. A via-catching design shape is provided in an underlying conductive line level for each stitch region that does not correspond to a via-level design shape. The shapes of the stitch regions and the via-catch design shapes can be adjusted to comply with design rule constraints. Further, stitches can be optionally moved into a neighboring line-level design shape to resolve design rule conflicts. The modified design layout can eliminate via-level design shapes once all via-level design shapes are replaced with a corresponding stitch region, thereby eliminating the need to provide a via level lithographic mask. A metal interconnect structure embodying the modified design layout can be formed by employing a set of hard mask layers and without employing a lithographic mask for a via level.

Abstract: A test structure used to determine reliability performance includes a patterned metallization structure having multiple interfaces, which provide stress risers. A dielectric material surrounds the metallization structure, where a mismatch in coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between the metallization structure and the surrounding dielectric material exist such that a thermal strain value is provided to cause failures under given stress conditions as a result of CTE mismatch to provide a yield indicative of reliability for a manufacturing design.

Abstract: A structure and method for fabricating a continuous cooling channel in the back end of line wiring levels of an integrated circuit (IC) chip is provided. This continuous cooling channel may provide a path for a cooling source such as a fluid pumped from an external fluidic-cooling circulation driver to make physical contact locally with and cool the back end levels within the IC chip that may generate heat as a byproduct of the IC device's routine operations. Such a cooling structure is achieved by removing a horizontal portion of a barrier layer from an intermediate region of an interlevel interconnect structure, selective to a vertical portion of the barrier layer located on a sidewall of the interlevel interconnect structure, using gas cluster ion beam etching as well as removing the bulk conductor by additional means.

Abstract: After forming a copper seed layer on a diffusion barrier layer present on sidewalls and a bottom surface of at least one opening, a graphene sacrificial layer is deposited over the copper seed layer before the copper seed layer is exposed to an environment that oxidizes the copper seed layer, thus providing process flexibility for longer queue times (Q-times) between copper seed layer deposition and copper plating. Next, the graphene sacrificial layer is subjected to a plasma treatment to introduce disorders and defects into the graphene sacrificial layer for removal just before the copper plating. The entire structure is then immersed in a copper plating solution. The copper plating solution dissolves the plasma treated graphene sacrificial layer and forms a copper-containing layer on the re-exposed copper seed layer.

Abstract: A structure and method for fabricating a continuous cooling channel in the back end of line wiring levels of an integrated circuit (IC) chip is provided. This continuous cooling channel may provide a path for a cooling source such as a fluid pumped from an external fluidic-cooling circulation driver to make physical contact locally with and cool the back end levels within the IC chip that may generate heat as a byproduct of the IC device's routine operations. Such a cooling structure is achieved by removing a horizontal portion of a barrier layer from an intermediate region of an interlevel interconnect structure, selective to a vertical portion of the barrier layer located on a sidewall of the interlevel interconnect structure, using gas cluster ion beam etching as well as removing the bulk conductor by additional means.

Abstract: A structure and method for fabricating a continuous cooling channel in the back end of line wiring levels of an integrated circuit (IC) chip is provided. This continuous cooling channel may provide a path for a cooling source such as a fluid pumped from an external fluidic-cooling circulation driver to make physical contact locally with and cool the back end levels within the IC chip that may generate heat as a byproduct of the IC device's routine operations. Such a cooling structure is achieved by removing a horizontal portion of a barrier layer from an intermediate region of an interlevel interconnect structure, selective to a vertical portion of the barrier layer located on a sidewall of the interlevel interconnect structure, using gas cluster ion beam etching as well as removing the bulk conductor by additional means.

Abstract: Approaches for detecting wear in integrated circuit chips are provided. An on-chip sensor system includes an integrated circuit chip including a plurality of sensor groups. Each respective one of the sensor groups is structured and arranged to detect a measure of wear corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of failure mechanisms.

Abstract: A structure and method for fabricating a continuous cooling channel in the back end of line wiring levels of an integrated circuit (IC) chip is provided. This continuous cooling channel may provide a path for a cooling source such as a fluid pumped from an external fluidic-cooling circulation driver to make physical contact locally with and cool the back end levels within the IC chip that may generate heat as a byproduct of the IC device's routine operations. Such a cooling structure is achieved by removing a horizontal portion of a barrier layer from an intermediate region of an interlevel interconnect structure, selective to a vertical portion of the barrier layer located on a sidewall of the interlevel interconnect structure, using gas cluster ion beam etching as well as removing the bulk conductor by additional means.

Abstract: A structure and method for fabricating a continuous cooling channel in the back end of line wiring levels of an integrated circuit (IC) chip is provided. This continuous cooling channel may provide a path for a cooling source such as a fluid pumped from an external fluidic-cooling circulation driver to make physical contact locally with and cool the back end levels within the IC chip that may generate heat as a byproduct of the IC device's routine operations. Such a cooling structure is achieved by removing a horizontal portion of a barrier layer from an intermediate region of an interlevel interconnect structure, selective to a vertical portion of the barrier layer located on a sidewall of the interlevel interconnect structure, using gas cluster ion beam etching as well as removing the bulk conductor by additional means.

Abstract: Electrically conductive structures and methods of making electrically conductive structures. The methods include providing a dielectric layer of a material having a top surface and a dielectric constant of less than 3; rastering a gas cluster ion beam to form a patterned modified surface region of the top surface of the dielectric layer; and selectively forming an electrically conductive thin film on the patterned modified surface region using atomic layer deposition.

Abstract: A device and method for evaluating reliability of a semiconductor chip structure built by a manufacturing process includes a test structure built in accordance with a manufacturing process. The test structure is thermal cycled and the yield of the test structure is measured. The reliability of the semiconductor chip structure built by the manufacturing process is evaluated based on the yield performance before the thermal cycling.

Abstract: A metal interconnect structure, a system and method of manufacture, wherein a design layout includes results in forming at least two trenches of different trench depths. The method uses a slightly modified BEOL processing stack to prevent metal interconnect structures from encroaching upon an underlying hard mask dielectric or metallic hard mask layer. Thus two trench depths are obtained by tuning parameters of the system and allowing areas exposed by two masks to have deeper trenches. Here, the BEOL Stack processing is modified to enable two trench depths by using a hardmask that defines the lowest etch depth. The design may be optimized by software which optimizes a design for electromigration (or setup timing violations) by utilizing secondary trench depths, checking space opportunity around wires, pushing wires out to generate space and converting a wire to deep trench wire.

Abstract: Via-level design shapes are mapped into stitch regions of line-level design shapes design in an overlying conductive line level. A via-catching design shape is provided in an underlying conductive line level for each stitch region that does not correspond to a via-level design shape. The shapes of the stitch regions and the via-catch design shapes can be adjusted to comply with design rule constraints. Further, stitches can be optionally moved into a neighboring line-level design shape to resolve design rule conflicts. The modified design layout can eliminate via-level design shapes once all via-level design shapes are replaced with a corresponding stitch region, thereby eliminating the need to provide a via level lithographic mask. A metal interconnect structure embodying the modified design layout can be formed by employing a set of hard mask layers and without employing a lithographic mask for a via level.

Abstract: A test structure used to determine reliability performance includes a patterned metallization structure having multiple interfaces, which provide stress risers. A dielectric material surrounds the metallization structure, where a mismatch in coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between the metallization structure and the surrounding dielectric material exist such that a thermal strain value is provided to cause failures under given stress conditions as a result of CTE mismatch to provide a yield indicative of reliability for a manufacturing design.